DCCC chief says LoBiondo is a target

Newly-elected Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Chris Van Hollen says that GOP Congressman Frank LoBiondo will be a top target in 2008. LoBiondo won 62% last year against Democrat Viola Thomas-Hughes, the former Mayor of Fairfield. While the second district has been trending toward the Democrats in recent years, LoBiondo is not likely to be in trouble — unless Van Hollen and New Jersey Democrats can convince three-term Assemblyman Jefferson Van Drew — a Democrat who runs exceptionally well in Republican areas of the district — to run. Other possible candidates, like Assemblyman Douglas Fisher or Atlantic County Freeholder Alisa Beth Cooper, are not in Van Drew’s league. One potentially interesting candidate against LoBiondo would be Bridgeton native M. Allyn Brooks-LaSure, a politically savvy African American who has served as Press Secretary to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and Governor Jon Corzine. In North Jersey, some Democrats have been trying to recruit Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt to run for Congress next year against 7th district Congressman Michael Ferguson. Ferguson barely (49%-48%) won re-election in 2006, and his opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, is reportedly looking for a rematch. Glatt, who announced his bid for re-election as Mayor of heavily-Republican Summit yesterday, is a favorite of Governor Jon Corzine (who lived in Summit for more than twenty years before his election to the Senate) and is also being recruited to challenge Republican Assemblyman Eric Munoz.